Implementing technological developments
5. As in good baking: Changes in the dominant media in a culture take time and the proper conditions.
- 30 year rule:
- Communication
technology innovations take approximately 30 years to become "everyday." When innovations "hit," although they were a long time in development,
they appear "overnight."
- This is a corollary with McLuhan's notion about us seeing new media in the rear-view mirror.
- This is a corollary with McLuhan's notion about us seeing new media in the rear-view mirror.
- Communication
technology innovations take approximately 30 years to become "everyday." When innovations "hit," although they were a long time in development,
they appear "overnight."
- Ev Rodger's Diffusion Theory (about when technology will "take", not about how news spreads). In order for new technologies to diffuse, they have to meet a number of challenges:
- Relative advantages? Is the innovation really better?
- Compatible with current technology?
- Easy to use?
- Reliable?
- Observability/word of mouth? Especially from early adapters.
- Fidler adds:
- Bridges of familiarity (especially metaphors/icons).
- Motivating socio-economic-cultural opportunities.
- Suppression of radical potential.
- Technological Complexity Paradox:
- Increasingly complex technologies are headed for users with decreasing levels of preparation for using technology.
- Curve of Complexity:U-shaped complexity curve
- high at first; drops and evens out; then rises sharply with innovations
- The same technology that simplifies life by providing more functions in each device/process, also complicates life by making the device/process harder to learn and use.
